Tip - Frozen Bread, Individual Slices
My practice for many years has been to wait until the next day to slice the bread, then place those slices into a ziplock bag and freeze. It is nice to remove a slice or two and pop in the micro for 30 seconds or so and have warm, fresh bread.
But the only issue I had was that the slices stuck together.
The Fix -
Take the slices and spread out on a baking sheet or a cooling rack and place the rack in the freezer for an hour or so. Remove and place individual slices in a ziplock. Now when you want a slice they will all be separate and ready to thrill the palate.
The images below show how beautiful frozen bread can be. Gifting pre-frozen bread to neighbors can be a beautiful thing.
Here is an idea that may appeal to some. Let’s say you baked a large loaf and you want to give some of the slices to a friend. You can remove some of the slices from the middle portion, then place both of the shortened ends in a bread bag. The friend will never know you stole some of it :-)
Below is the same loaf after the middle portion was removed.
Dan
Thank you Dan - now why didn’t I think of that !!
Best regards , Merlie.
If you are going to freeze before bagging, just wait for the loaf to fully cool before you slice. It then rejuvinates to the condition it was in when you froze it (fresher by a day).
Of course if it has a lot of rye or soaked grains, you may have to wait long enough that the crumb is no longer sticky.
So smart Dan.
Benny
My practice is to separate cooled sliced slices into sandwich-sized zip-lock bags, two slices in each. I'm going to try your approach as it looks much better and economical.
Cheers,
Gavin.
Thank God, bread freezes extremely well. IMO it is nearly as good as fresh baked, since the bread is never sliced warm in our house.
My challenge to stop my wife from cutting the fresh bread before it cools, as she loves the crusty ends. A challenge that often causes disputes :)
homemade meatballs too. In the summer we buy the great big bags of Hebrew National hot dogs for cookouts and I freeze the extras the same way.
Never thought to try it with bread, though. I stick the whole sliced loaf in the freezer like you used to do, then when I wanted a slice I'd pop one loose with a knife. I'll have to try it your way. Thanks!!
I've tried your method of freezing the sliced loaf. Fabulous! Success! I have abandoned my old method in favour of this.
Thanks and cheers for the insight.
Gavin
Glad it worked for you, Gavin!
Frozen bread can even be gifted with pride now. It actually looks presentable.